Late for the Match
by singeylove
Summary: Harry learns a lesson on true love, when running late one morning for the Quidditch match. Draco/OC


Harry Potter was always early for Quidditch; it allowed him to warm-up properly for the match, and avoid any injury that he would not receive from the game itself. This would enable him be truly focused on winning, and today he was going to need his focus.

Today was the first match of the school year, and Gryffindor Quidditch team were now solely his responsibility as Quidditch captain. He had to demonstrate that he was worthy of the position by beating the opposing team. As if this wasn't enough pressure for Harry, Gryffindor was playing against their biggest rival and strongest competition, Slytherin. Harry had heard –well overheard- Pansy Parkinson complaining to Millicent Bullstrode how courtesy of the new team captain; their team had a new tough training schedule. Parkinson was not on the Slytherin team, but she felt the new rigorous training sessions were disadvantaging her love life.

The ideals however of warm-ups and strategy were shattered by the shrill (due to increased stress) yelling of Hermione Granger.

"Harry! HARRY!"She was now shaking him due to impatience which was uncommon for the muggle-born witch. Harry cracked one eye open and croaked feebly:

"Hermione, please. It's Saturday, surely revision can wait until at least after breakfast." Hermione drew in a deep breath and closed her eyes, counting to ten to refrain from dragging him out of the four-poster bed herself.

"Harry, it's now ten thirty, and today is the Quidditch match against Slytherin." Hermione replied calmly after gaining her self-control over, however her voice still was a tad higher pitched than usually.

Harry cursed himself, grabbed his glasses and flew out of bed, only nodding to acknowledge Hermione who was leaving towards the Quidditch pitch. Although the game couldn't start without the seeker and captain of the team. Nevertheless threw his Quidditch uniform on quickly, wiped the toothbrush round his teeth hastily, running around the dorm like a mad man. In passing before exiting the dorm, he regarded himself in the mirror; this enabled him to come to the conclusion that he looked a mess. His Quidditch robes were laid haphazardly on his body, wrinkled and tucked up inside his trousers. His hair was as usual a shaggy black mop on his head but today it looked particularly chaotic jutting out at random angles and not even brushed.

"No time" Harry muttered to himself, picking up his pace and running out of the dormitory, out of the Gryffindor common room, down the tower steps, and down another seven flights of steps until he reached the entrance hall. Harry regarded himself as healthy and on form as far as his physical fitness was concerned, but sprinting around at full speed was taking its toll, he bent his body over, resting his palms on his knees, taking in several full breaths of oxygen until his erratic breathing slowed down.

"Why does the Quidditch pitch have to be on the other side of the grounds?" he growled under his breath. Once more he took off at astounding speed through the courtyard and into the grounds. When he regarded himself as halfway there he slowed his pace to an active jog, not wanting to burn himself out before the match even began. Harry pulled his gaze up from his brown Quidditch boots, no longer worrying about losing his footing, he then realized that he was not the only one who was late...

He saw the green Quidditch shirt of Draco Malfoy, and rejoiced silently and doing a victory dance, because the other Captain was late too, despite his vigorous new training schedule. However, when Harry studied the form jogging a few metres in more detail he realised that the person bore no other Quidditch equipment other than the green shirt, no pads, no light trousers, no emerald cape and instead of wearing black Quidditch boots was wearing black UGG boots! Harry was baffled, he knew Malfoy was enjoyed the finer things in life but UGG's! "Perhaps he's gay!" mused Harry, but he disregarded that thought after all he wasn't entitled the 'Slytherin Sex God' for nothing. Harry had heard the rumours. Harry concluded, that no matter what footwear he wore, or how much time he spent on his hair, Draco Malfoy was anything but gay.

Harry didn't know how he had mistaken the figure for Malfoy, the only resemblance they had was the Quidditch shirt with his name and number -06- on the back. Harry estimated that the figure was nearly a foot shorter than Malfoy, and although Malfoy was slim, the figure in front had curves and a rounded bum. However, the real giveaway sign that the person ahead of Harry was not Malfoy was the long dark hair, which curled gently over the shoulders, bouncing in the air as they ran. It then hit Harry that the person in front of him was a girl. Someone liked Malfoy enough to wear his name publicly across them, and in Harry's eyes more disturbingly Malfoy liked someone enough to let them.

Draco Malfoy was a notorious playboy, he dated girls and when they began to develop feelings for him, or the relationship became too serious he left them and went back to his comfort blanket of Pansy Parkinson. Yes Parkinson was annoying and neither was she pretty, but something, Lord knows what, perhaps her devotion to him always made Malfoy come crawling back to her. But now Draco had no time for Pansy, he ignored her and never wanted to be around her. However Malfoy was not dating, or shagging any other Pansy-like girls either. In fact to Harry's knowledge, for once Malfoy didn't have a girlfriend. Now Harry thought about it, that must be why Parkinson was so abnormally bitchy recently –even more so than usual. This girl ahead was definitely not Pansy, who had stolen an old shirt to display her devotion to Malfoy. Even by studying the back of her head, Harry could tell the girl was pretty, if not beautiful, just by her figure and the way she carried herself, he just knew it. She had a certain aura about her. This lead Harry to one conclusion...

Malfoy had developed feelings. He had developed the ability to show affection, to allow another to wear a garment of his, for good luck or support or even to just show that she cared and was on his side, Malfoy wasn't the sort of person who would allow something to happen against his wishes. This all showed to Harry, that Malfoy was in a serious relationship. From Harry's knowledge, Malfoy had not been publicly parading this girl around on his arm, as a trophy of status either. Perhaps Malfoy had a heart... even if he was not aware of it, perhaps he too was capable of love.

The Quidditch pitch was coming in sight now, and the girl slowed to a walk and turned right into the stands. Harry froze dumbstruck. The unknown girl with the identity that was puzzling Harry so much, was Lydia. His friend, one of his best friends. A Gryffindor.

"Potter, where have you been? The match is starting, get up to there!" demanded his head of house Minerva McGonagall, her green, pointed hat wobbling precariously on her head with frustration, she followed Harry's blank gaze to Lydia's retreating form. She smiled at Harry knowingly and said to him kindly

"Surely Potter, Slytherins are capable of falling in love too." She paused and looked into the boys disbelieving eyes.

"Lydia!" A call resonated from above, the girl turned around curious as to who wanted her. From the stairs to the left of Harry flew an emerald-clad boy, his platinum hair styled to perfection: even the fastest speed couldn't damage that hair.

Lydia smiled when she saw Draco, her Draco. Her chocolate eyes lit up, as did his grey ones, confirming to Harry that the emotion that was so elusive in Slytherins was present here. Love.

"I'm so glad you came, I was worried you couldn't come. I thought something might have happened." Harry chuckled quietly to himself, even the cool as a cucumber Draco Malfoy garbled when he was nervous, and this proved it once again.

"Don't you dare say that!" She scolded "I wouldn't miss this for the world, you specifically asked me to be here and so here I am." Lydia's face softened and she smiled and continued: "I ran the whole way. And if you really must know, Trelawney was a bit tipsy again, and just as I was passing she fell down the whole flight of stairs outside the divination tower, broke her arm and was unable to find the hospital wing" Draco laughed a deep laugh but unlike normal it was not mocking or callous, it was genuine and full of mirth.

"Hey, it's not funny!" She exclaimed hitting him playfully. "I had to have her leaning on me whimpering and stinking of fire whiskey the whole way there. And to top it all off, she tried to predict my future." She tried to stay composed and voice her irritation with a straight face, but ended up laughing too, until they were both hysterical.

"You see Potter; you can't chose who you fall in love with. There is connection or there is not, and the strength of that bond is unbeatable, you of all people should know that." McGonagall kindly explained, but she was not looking at Harry instead she was smiling at the young couple to her left.

"Potter, Malfoy." She said regaining her no-nonsense teacher voice, suddenly making the all of the teenagers jump. "As Quidditch Captains you should both know the importance of being with your team before a match starts, and this one will commence at any moment, get up there." Harry turned away from the elder teacher and went up the stairs on his left and stood watching at the locker room door.

"You have to go" The brunette whispered pushing the blond boy's arm gently away from her. "I'll be cheering for you" She paused, adding to the sentence. "Not my own house however, and so if I get murder by the entire Gryffindor population; it's on your conscience." She joked, however the feeling of house loyalty and mutual dislike between Slytherin and Gryffindor was however still quite prominent. She picked at the Quidditch shirt." I do love it though, it smells like you." She sighed softly, lifting it up to her nose and inhaling deeply, she then smiled widely making their relationship in Harry's eyes perfect, as she could beam around Malfoy. Although he was struggling to come to terms with one of his friends and former crush, being comfortable, not to mention happy around this boy, Harry would accept them.

Draco smirked "It looks good on you good too, I'm so glad I made you wear that" He got a mischievous look in his eyes and whispered in her ear something that made her blush, looking down at the shirt. She gave him another light, playful slap on the arm, giggling.

"We do look like twins though, my little Slytherin." Draco mewled to Lydia surprisingly affectionately. He eyed the teacher across from him knowingly "Got to go love, McGonagall is sending me death glares and I seriously think she is considering using the cruciatus curse on me" He whispered making her giggle again, like a love struck fool. Although neither would admit it they both were.

He turned and began to walk up the stairs to the changing rooms and towards the entrance to the pitch for the players; he had only gotten halfway when she called out to him:

"Draco!" She turned and ran, following him up the stairs kissing him passionately wrapping her arms around his neck burying her fingers in his hair; instinctively he wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting Lydia off the step below and her off her feet as well. She pulled away from the kiss looking into his grey eyes and just loud enough that Harry could hear and whispered grinning widely.

"For good luck." Then she purred in a seductive voice Harry had never heard her use before, "Now get your sexy Slytherin bum up those stairs, and win." As an afterthought she hastily added "Don't get hurt though" He gave her one last chaste kiss, putting her back on her feet gently.

"Thank you darling, I'll try" He gave her a mock salute, she turned and walked away, to the stands as his mascot. Out of impulse Harry said sincerely:

"Malfoy, you really love her don't you?" Malfoy for a second looked taken aback and then his loving and kind voice changed back to his usual cutting one.

"I don't think that's your concern now, is it Potter? You should be worrying about your time keeping. And trying of course to remember to stay on your broom today, though I wouldn't bet on it!" he spat, turning on heel and entering his own changing room, and Harry could hear him barking orders at his team inside.

The match was an hour late to start in the end; however it only lasted twenty minutes, as for the first time Slytherin won. Malfoy found and captured the tiny golden snitch; he seemed invigorated like never before, loving his game more than ever, his Quidditch skills really improved too making him a difficult match even for Harry. Everyone seemed astounded as to this outcome, and only four people knew why. Malfoy, McGonagall, Harry and the lucky charm, and inspiration herself.

To normal people like Harry, you and I, wearing a partners Quidditch shirt seems like nothing, but to Draco; this display of affection and going public in a relationship this way, was to him practically like proposing. For someone who compartmentalized every aspect of his life, allowing his true emotions to shine through proved that she was the real thing for Draco. No matter their differences Draco and Lydia seemed to fit together, complete each other, like an intricate jigsaw. When they were together, they were euphoric, like nothing else mattered and it was just the two of them together. Having defeated Lord Voldemort the summer before Harry was made to rethink his priorities, he concluded that their true love and her happiness was more important than history between him and Malfoy, or the houses they were in, the rivalries or the risks. He did this entirely because Malfoy made her happy and glow, therefore Harry put aside his personal dislikes for the other boy and because of this, didn't challenge her or argue the disadvantages to loving Draco, like Ron did. Harry even defended Draco's honour to Ron and the reasons why he should be with Lydia and continued to do so anyone who challenged the couple and their relationship, as after all hate is nothing at all when compared to love.

**Thank you all for the awesome reviews I've had on here, your support and even one review means the world to me. Hence I reworked this fic as there were LOTS of mistakes in here before. Thanks for everything**

**Singeylove **

**xx**


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